Advice on Santorini from Reflection

[Cakeyandbeano]

I'm after any information on how the tenders were from Reflection in Santorini & also waiting for the Cable Car

 

I know ship excursions get priority (& go to a different tender port) as do suite guests so how long did everyone else wait?

 

We're the 1st of 5 ships to arrive on our cruise so will the queues for the cable car be ok, apart from walking/donkeys I've heard of boats from the tender ports what are these like/where do they go?

 

I'm trying to decide whether a ship excursion is worth it, private tour or just DIY and walk the trail between Oia & Fira which is supposed to get the best views.

 

Apologies for all the questions but Santorini has been on my bucket list for a while & whilst I know I won't do it justice in a day want it to be as good as it can.

[Beanb41]

SCroll down the index page about 14 items and you will find a thread on Santorini and Reflection for 25 August. All your questions are answered there

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

I cannot even imagine 5 ships in Santorini at one time. Are you sure that's the correct information? The island will be totally overwhelmed. And the cable car will be crazy madness if that is the case.

 

[Karynanne]

I'm after any information on how the tenders were from Reflection in Santorini & also waiting for the Cable Car

 

I know ship excursions get priority (& go to a different tender port) as do suite guests so how long did everyone else wait?

 

We're the 1st of 5 ships to arrive on our cruise so will the queues for the cable car be ok, apart from walking/donkeys I've heard of boats from the tender ports what are these like/where do they go?

 

I'm trying to decide whether a ship excursion is worth it, private tour or just DIY and walk the trail between Oia & Fira which is supposed to get the best views.

 

Apologies for all the questions but Santorini has been on my bucket list for a while & whilst I know I won't do it justice in a day want it to be as good as it can.

 

 

A lot depends on what time of day your ship docks.

If your ships is in port at 2:00pm (our's was), then there isn't an issue.

[Cakeyandbeano]

A lot depends on what time of day your ship docks.

If your ships is in port at 2:00pm (our's was), then there isn't an issue.

 

 

We dock at 7am & are 1st in that morning but others dock at 7:30 or 8. Also 3 of the ships are very small & only have 2000 pax between all 3 ships

[Tommy3putts]

If there are 5 ships, I'd take the ship wine tour excursion with a stop in Oui and ending in Fira. we did it in 2014. The Wine tour itself was "meh" but getting off the ship first and visiting Oui was worth it. Took cable car down after enjoying a beer in Fira.

Edited August 15, 2016 by Tommy3putts

[Cakeyandbeano]

If there are 5 ships, I'd take the ship wine tour excursion with a stop in Oui and ending in Fira. we did it in 2014. The Wine tour itself was "meh" but getting off the ship first and visiting Oui was worth it. Took cable car down after enjoying a beer in Fira.

 

 

Thank you, that was the tour we'd been thinking about so we'll probably do that

[Softball20]

OMG - just checked on our trip next May. There are also five ships in port that day; four of us dock at 7:00. It will be busy:eek:

[smtcan]

When we were in Santorini last year we took the "speed boat" from the dock and went to Oia. The price of the boat included a shuttle up to the town and a bus back to Fira. There was an option to take the boat back, which would have avoided the cable car completely. The boat and bus option cost under $20 pp.

 

Incidentally, the tendering process was done by local seamen and was very efficient. They used large boats and moved quickly. We did not need tender tickets and we were initially a bit put out that there was no priority tendering for Elites, but it really wasn't an issue because the lines moved so quickly.

[Softball20]

Good to know. We were there on the Equinox several years ago, but I just don't recall how the tendering process worked at that point. We are a few points shy of Elite (we'll hit it on this next cruise), so I guess it's a good thing that it moves quickly for everyone. We have quite a few months to plan, but at this point it looks like we will be doing the hike from Fira to Oia once we get up to Fira.

[tartantiara]

Thank you, that was the tour we'd been thinking about so we'll probably do that

 

 

We did the same tour with cruising excursions in July (for a fraction of the ships price) we got off the ship early , no queues, and were at the top of the cable car where we were to meet, in about 30 minutes. Coming back down the cable car there was a long line and we waited about 45 mins .

[excitedofharpenden]

When we were in Santorini last year we took the "speed boat" from the dock and went to Oia. The price of the boat included a shuttle up to the town and a bus back to Fira. There was an option to take the boat back, which would have avoided the cable car completely. The boat and bus option cost under $20 pp.

 

Incidentally, the tendering process was done by local seamen and was very efficient. They used large boats and moved quickly. We did not need tender tickets and we were initially a bit put out that there was no priority tendering for Elites, but it really wasn't an issue because the lines moved so quickly.

 

I really enjoy the trip to Oia on the fast boat. I've done it a few times. Santorini is all about timing if there are a few ships in. I've been there four times this year and on one of those occasions there were a total of five ships, but one of the large ones arrived at 2pm. I left the ship at 11.30 after the crowds and had lunch and a walk around Oia. By the time I caught the cable car back down most had already gone back and it was quiet. Oia us a popular spot. If the fast boat is running you can pick it up from right next to where the tender drops you off. Look for the yellow and blue sign. The views from Oia never get old.

[Cakeyandbeano]

We did the same tour with cruising excursions in July (for a fraction of the ships price) we got off the ship early , no queues, and were at the top of the cable car where we were to meet, in about 30 minutes. Coming back down the cable car there was a long line and we waited about 45 mins .

 

 

 

Were you priority for tenders, if not did the tender queues start very early. This is what I'm trying to work out.

 

We would prefer to DIY but if not we would definitely end up doing the ship excursion as we have a large amount of OBC to spend.

[tartantiara]

Were you priority for tenders, if not did the tender queues start very early. This is what I'm trying to work out.

 

We would prefer to DIY but if not we would definitely end up doing the ship excursion as we have a large amount of OBC to spend.

 

 

We are Elite, but there were no tender tickets given out and as I said we were up in Fira in about 30 minutes in fact we were too early to meet our guide as we had given ourselves plenty time to get there .

[Mr. Click]

It was a few years ago on Equinox but we did the ship's tour that Tommy talked about and found it a big help. The ships stop near the old port to off load the excursion passengers first, via tenders, and then go on to the anchorage, set anchor and then start tendering. We were off the ship and on the bus to Oia by the time the ship got anchored. We are not fans of big bus tours but this was one case where it paid off. Later that evening we heard lots of tales of woe of people waiting on line for tenders, for cable cars up, etc. We docked in the afternoon and sailed at night but I am not sure if that makes a difference. I know they do stagger the arrival and departure of the ships to try and manage the tender loads better. Oh, we did have a long wait for the cable car going back down but it was nice to have our tickets included in our tour price. We saw Oia, saw winery, saw a lot of the island and had lots of free time back in Friea before we had to get on line for the cable car. All in all it was a good deal for us.

[vickykay]

We did the ship's excursion ( usually dominate tours) as we docked at 2:00 and most of the ferries were not ru Ning that late. Enjoyed the tour and well worth not having the hassle.

[lovemylab]

I also did the ships excursion that visits the winery. We encountered a few passengers who opted for a DIY day and it took them over 2 hours to get off the ship and get up to Fira.

 

It's impossible to know ahead of time how busy the cable car will be at the time you dock. We weren't willing to risk losing time onshore due to having to wait in lines to get off the ship and then more lines for a cable car, so we opted for the excursion. The little bit extra it cost us was well worth it.

[Softball20]

I also did the ships excursion that visits the winery. We encountered a few passengers who opted for a DIY day and it took them over 2 hours to get off the ship and get up to Fira.

 

It's impossible to know ahead of time how busy the cable car will be at the time you dock. We weren't willing to risk losing time onshore due to having to wait in lines to get off the ship and then more lines for a cable car, so we opted for the excursion. The little bit extra it cost us was well worth it.

 

Wow. What time of year was that? We will be there in late May. With five ships in port, I know it will be busy. We just want to do the hike to Oia and spend our time there - hoping it doesn't take too long just to get off the ship and up the donkey trail!